Telephone system for trains.



H. E. BARBER & J. W. MOFARLAND. TELEPHONE SYSTEM FOR. TRAINS.

APPLICATION FILED JAN. 30, 1911.

1,104,605, Patented July 21, 1 914.

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HOWARD E. BARBER AND JAMES MCFARLAND, OF CHERRY TREE, PENNSYLVANIA.

TELEPHONE SYSTEM FOR TRAINS.

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To aZZ whomit may concern: 1

Be it known that we, HOWARD E. BARBER and JAMES lV. MCFARLAND, citizens of the United States, residing at Cherry Tree, in

the county of Indiana and State of Pennsyl- 'vania, have invented new and useful 1m provem ants in Telephone Systems for Trains, of which the following is a specification.

This invention relates to a telephone system adapted especially for trains, whereby,v

the conductor and engineer can communicate with each other forgiving and receivmg orders or instructions, and wl'iereby communication can beihad between the train and train despatcher at the terminal station through aerial or other wires extending along the road.

The invention has for one of its objects to improve and simplify the construction and operation of systems of this character so .as to be reliable and eflicient in use, convenient to operate, and comparatively inexpensive to install and keep in operation.

Another object of the invention is the pro vision of an improved system whereby one side of the telephone circuit is formed by the track rails and the other side by the train pipe of the air brake system, so that when the cars are coupled together, telephonic communication can be had' between the train and any car or cars that are fittedwith telephone sets.

Another object of the invention is the employment of novel means whereby any telephone set of the train can be connected with aerial wires strung on poles along the track.

Viith these object in view and others, as will appear as the description proceeds, the

invention comprises the various novel fea tures of construction and arrangement of parts which will be more fully described hereinafter and set forth with particularity in the claim appended hereto.

in the accompanying drawing, which illustrates one embodiment of the invention, Figure 1 is a diagrammatic view of a train, showing the telephone system applied. Fig.

2 is a plan view of the train pipe of a car,- showing the wire in the air hose at each end and the manner of insulating the train pipe from the metal structure of the car. Fig. 8 is a perspective view of adoldable polefor connecting a telephone set with the aerial telephone wires. Fig. 4 is a diagrammatic view showing a telephone set con- Specification of Letters Patent. Patented J uly21, 1914.

Application filed January 30, 1911. Serial No. 695,560. I

nected with the aerial wires. Figs. 5 and 6 are detail views'ofportions of the pole.

Similar reference characters are employed to designate corresponding parts throughout the views. 7

Referring to the drawing, A designates a telephone set arranged in the cab of the locomotive where it can be used by the engineer or fireman, and B designates a telephone set arranged in the caboose of the train. Any desired number of telephone sets maybe employed for convenience. Qne terminal of each telephone is connected by a wire 1 to a brush2 or equivalent device which grounds the wire on the axles of the locomotive and caboose so that the wheels 3 and rails 4 will form one side of the telephone circuit. The other terminals-of the telephone are connected by wires 5' to the train pipe 6. A wire 7 is provided at each end of the pipe on each car and connects with the coupling 8 and run through the hose 9 to the metal pipe 6 to a 'iich it is connected. Thus, when the hose of the cars are connected, one side of the circuit will be completed, consisting of,

the pipes 6, wires .7 and couplings 8. In the case of metal cars, the pipes .7 are 111- sulated at- 10 from the hangers or brackets communicate with the engineer, or vice versa, the ringer of the telephone at the sending end of the line will be actuated so as to ring the bell at the receiving end of the line, according to the usual method 'in telephone practice. The talking current can be supplied by'any suitable source, such as batteries 7). The circuit, consists of the train wires, and telcphoneaud track rails, the circuit being, thus of the metallic return type. i

The telephones are capable of being connected with aerial wires along the road that lead to :1 terminus for etlecting communication between the train and train despatcher whenever occasion arises. For this purpose, the locomotive and caboose may be provided with T-poles C that are normallyhooked up in the locomotive cab and caboose at any convenient place... Each pole consists of a number of sections 15 hinged together by pivots 16, so that the-pole can be folded as shown clearly in Fig. 3. At the pivoted ends of two adjacentsections are provided means for holding the pole open for use, said means being a projection 17, Fig. 5, on one section engaging in a depression 18 of the adjacent section after the fashion of an ordinary folding yard stick. Y One or" the outermost sections is formed with a handle 15), while the other section is provided with a cross piece or head 20 constituting the top of the T-p-ole. On the under side of the head 20 are contact plates 21 and 2]. adjacent the extremities, said plates being adapted to contact with the aeriallines 22 and when a telephone is to be connected with no train despatcher or any other telephone connected with the said lines. These plates 2i and 21 are connected with binding posts 23 and :23 to which flexible wires 24-and 2 i are connected, the said wires being long enough to permit the T-pole to be unfolded and elevated as high as the aerial telephone wires. These w es 524i and 24 are connected with the wires 1 and 5, respectively, so that the Iephone, as shown in Fig. 3, can be connected in circuit with the train desp atcher. When not in use, the T-pole is folded and hung up on books 26 that engage with the head of the T-pole.

From the foregoing description, taken in connection with the accompanying drawings, the advantages of the construction and or" the method of operation will be readily apparent to those skilled in the art to which the invention appertains, and while we have described the principle of operation of the invention, together with th. apparatus which we now consider to be the best embodiment thereof, we desire to have it under stood that the apparatus shown is merely illustrative, and that such changes may be made when desired as are within the scope of the claim appended hereto.

Havingthus described the invention, what we claim as new, is

In combination with a telephone system for 'ailway trains, a pole for establishing communication between aerial wires and said system, said pole comprising a plurality of flat sections pivotally connected to gether whereby said sections may be folded in superimposed relation and supported within the caboose or" the train, a clamp embracing said sections to hold the latter in folded position, the uppermost section being of T-form to provide a cross arm constituting the head of the pole, substantially L- shaped contact plates secured to the under side or". said cross arm, binding posts extended through said contact plates and cross head and flexible wire connected with said post and system.

In testimony whereof we aflix our signatures inpresence oil, two witnesses.

HOVVARD E. BARBER.- JAMES WV. MGFARLAND. Witnesses:

WM. ToNKIN, E. B. MoOoRMIcK.

copies of this patent may he obtained for five cents each, by addressing the Commissioner of Patents Washington, I). G. 

